James Little

Hong Kong

Hong Kong, arriving here on March 27th. Hong Kong Wikitravel.

To see in Hong Kong:

• Victoria Peak – Get a stunning view of Hong Kong Island on Victoria Peak with the giant, wok shaped Peak Tower.
• Avenue of the Stars – See the stunning Hong Kong Island skyline from Kowloon – one of the best view is from the Avenue of Stars at Tsim Sha Tsui.
• Tai O fishing village – For a look at a rare example of a Chinese stilt-house community, head to the far northwestern coast edge of Lantau Island. This is home to the Tanka people, a community of fisherfolk who have built their homes on stilts above the tidal flats for generations because they do not feel safe on land.
• Shek O is a beach popular with many young Hong Kong people. It is away from the bustle of the city but is well served by restaurants and has a good bus service from the north side of the island. The Thai restaurant close to the beach is worth a try
• Dim sum/yum cha
• Hiking
• A Symphony of Lights Harbour Light Show For the best view of A Symphony of Lights, take a harbour cruise or head to the waterfront promenades on either side of Victoria Harbour*.
• The Wisdom Path
• Events in Hong Kong during visit:
  • Ngong Ping Shaolin everyday 10am – 6pm from 20th of March till the 31st of March.

Guangzhou

Travelling to Guangzhou by train – apparently one of the largest cities in the world in 1800. Guangzhou Wikitravel.

Guangzhou is famous for foreign trade and business, and holds China’s largest trade fair, the Canton Fair. However, in between the seemingly endless skyscrapers, shopping malls and building sites there is a lot of culture and history, and while Guangzhou is not usually high on the list of Asian tourist destinations, it is amazing how much the city actually has to offer.

To see in Guangzhou:

• Yuntai Garden - is situated at the foot of Baiyun (White Cloud) Mountain and is famous for its wide variety of rare flowers and trees.
• Yuexiu Park - is the largest urban park in China and is a lush green area that flows over acres of hills and includes several lakes. It includes the Ming Dynasty Zhenhai Tower (镇海楼) zhèn-hǎi-lóu. Also here in the park is the Stone Statue of the Five Rams (五羊石像), the symbol of Guangzhou.
• Pearl River dinner cruise - This is a one to two hour cruise in the evening and a great way to see the Guangzhou skyline along the Pearl River, including a light show at Bai-E-Tan. But perhaps it is better to eat and then find a cruise?

Beijing

Flying to Beijing; flight purchased by girlfriends sister on ctrip.com. Beijing Wikitravel.

To see in Beijing:

• Rent a bicycle. Traverse some of the remaining hutongs.
• Visit the Temple of Heaven. If you go early in the morning you will see thousands of Beijingers starting the day with tai chi.
• Tiananmen Square -
• Forbidden City -
• The great wall ‘He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man’.
• Olympic Swim Center (Water Cube) and the Stadium (Bird’s Nest)
• Ming Tombs – Final resting place of 13 Emperors. We make two stops to give you a complete experience. Walk the Spirit Way and the descend into the underground Ding Tomb.
• Pingyao Ancient City – Pingyao Ancient City is one of the best preserved examples of a walled city in China and is located 100km (62 miles) south of Taiyuan.
• Summer Palace …

Great Wall

If you prefer to see the wall in a relatively natural state, visit Simatai, 110km north-east of Beijing. This part of the Wall is the best choice, for it is still in its original state without being developed into a popular tourist attraction due to its distance and little public transportation options. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/

Shanghai

Shanghai (Shanghai Wikitravel) from Beijing on an overnight train; no ticket yet. Probably get one of the Z or T class trains; they all seem to take 11 hours, the differences seems to be how modern they are:

Trains with a ‘Z’ in the train number are top quality trains with the most modern coaches.  Trains with a ‘T’ in the train number are the next best (’extra fast’).  Trains with a ‘K’ in the train number are ‘fast’.  A new D-category consists of high-speed 200-250 km/h daytime electric trains.

To see in Shanghai:

• The bund, we thought it was a river; “The Bund (外滩 Wàitān) is Shanghai’s stately street of old colonial-era buildings; alongside Huangpu River once was the financial center of the Far East.”
• Huangpu river cruise – Available at the Bund’s southern end ferry port in a large variety: One hour, two hour and three hour cruises on the Huangpu. The Huangpu River, which is the city’s shipping artery, also divides Shanghai into east and west, future and past. A cruise along this dynamic waterway affords a wonderful opportunity to see Shanghai’s working wharves and to take in the changing skyline. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/shanghai/0717020790.html
• Jin Mao Tower – Take the elevator up to the 88th floor observation deck and treat yourself to 360-degree views of Shanghai old and new.

• Shanghai World Financial Center – On 28 August 2008, the SWFC officially opened for business. On August 30 the Observation Deck opened with a view from 3 levels. The highest view is at 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level. It is currently the world’s tallest completed building by roof.

• Live Jazz – For funk or experimental jazz, try the Cotton Club or Club JZ. Though reviews of these clubs doesn’t look particularly favourable, perhaps another club/bar/venue (we’ll be in Shanghai on Friday and Saturday nights).
  
• Yuyuan Gardens, which is loaded with classical Chinese architecture. A lot of history resides in this little garden and temple. They were commissioned in 1559, built over the course of 19 years, destroyed in 1842 during the first Opium War, and later rebuilt and reopened to the public in their current incarnation in 1961.

Accommodation booked at Mingtown Youth Hostel in Shanghai using hostelbookers.com.

Hangzhou

Hangzhou (Hangzhou Wikitravel) Looks really beautiful, but it looks like we don’t have enough time to see all that Shanghai offers and also see Hangzhou.

Shenzhen

Shenzhen (Shenzhen Wikitravel) We are flying from Shanghai to Shenzhen, booked on ctrip.com – an english language (and chinese language) chinese flight booking website. Then returning to Hong Kong via buses from Shenzhen airport.

Wangjianshuo’s blog is an english language blog and is a great resource for anybody interested in travelling in China. Jian Shuo Wang is from Shanghai, though there is a lot of content about Beijing, Hong Kong and other cities – also in Australia and USA, but not Shanghai. Jian Shuo Wang also has a chinese language blog and is CEO of baixing.com.